2014 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actor, Michael Keaton
ESFP, the Performer, the Activator, the Challenger
Any study I write of a character is necessarily going to go from beginning to end of their story, but in this case I want to make sure I give an explicit SPOILER WARNING for Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance. Go see this movie first before you read this. It’s just less than two hours, and moves forward with such intensity that it feels like barely an hour.
Dominant Function: Extraverted Sensing (Se), “Experience the Experience”
Riggan lives to perform, and needs to be out there on stage or in front of the camera doing something.
In his early years, Riggan played Birdman, a superhero in a series of blockbuster movies. Birdman offered an exciting, profitable opportunity at the time, and Riggan jumped on it, riding its success for years to become a world-famous movie star.
In his later years, Riggan is looking again for some level of celebrity and attention, to recreate his success. He wants to present an unforgettable experience to his audience, but this time through the spectacle and challenge of live theater.
When his first male co-star doesn’t work out, Riggan jumps at the chance to cast a big name stage actor who happens to be the boyfriend of one of the actresses in the show. Mike Shiner takes the job and immediately pushes Riggan’s buttons. The two share an emotional, improvised rehearsal scene that brings out new discoveries in their performances, and Riggan gets keyed-up and delighted by the stimulation. Their relationship grows tense as Shiner repeatedly steals the spotlight and the headlines, until Riggan tackles him backstage and punches him in the face. Continue reading
Heroes & Villains of MBTI 